What happened in 2023… 

The FEI Education and Officials Department actively supports all FEI stakeholders, including National Federations, Officials, Organisers, Athletes and more, by providing carefully compiled knowledge and education programmes that promote best practices and Horse Welfare at all levels of our sport. 

Its primary mission is to ensure that every FEI Official is properly trained and always up to date with the latest Rules and Regulations, officiating methods and procedures, in order to be able to officiate at the highest standard and ensure a level playing field at all international events.  

In 2023, the FEI Education and Officials Department was active on several core projects with a clear focus on strengthening the FEI Education System through the ongoing implementation of the recommendations from the Officials Working Group (OWG) and the unification of all disciplines’ education.  It also dedicated a lot of time and resources to ensuring the active promotion of Horse Welfare and to providing universality and accessibility across its online platform, FEI Campus. 

FEI OFFICIALS

Evolution

2023 marked a turning regarding FEI Education for Officials, with the full integration of all FEI disciplines and Veterinarians into the unified system introduced in 2018, based on the recommendations from the FEI Officials Working Group (OWG). This was a major milestone in delivering an increasingly unified level playing field across all FEI Events and in running the certification and maintenance of all FEI Officials with greater efficiency. 

Statistics

FEI Officials Count 

Following the implementation of a monitoring system in 2022, we were able to carry through further measures necessary to ensure the preparation of a sufficient number of FEI Officials and Veterinarians for all disciplines.  

FEI Officials: + 9% increase since 2022 

General Function Distribution with Age & Gender 

Since 2022, we have observed a consistent evolution in the distribution of FEI Officials across the different functions, with the age and gender aspects remaining in the same range of values. 

Functions & FEI Officials distribution per discipline

The tables below provide the number of functions and the related number of individual FEI Officials in each discipline.

Geographical distribution of all Officials

Shows, Officials & Assignments in 2023

FEI CAMPUS – FREE ONLINE EDUCATION FOR ALL

Launched in 2017, FEI Campus is a free of charge and cutting-edge e-learning platform with specific content and courses aimed at FEI Officials and stakeholders, as well as varied and certified content for the public on all aspects of horsemanship. 

Constantly evolving, FEI Campus not only provides new courses on a regular basis, but also new sections, increasingly interactive features, videos and webinars. All this is done with the aim of creating an optimal user experience, reaching wider audiences globally and ultimately becoming THE number one reference in equestrian online education.  

Globally, the user count has been growing steadily since 2017, and in 2023 we recorded a 13% increase in platform users compared to 2022. 

FEI Campus Statistics 

The tables below provide the number of functions and the related number of individual FEI Officials in each discipline.

Users

Percentage increase 2022-2023

Courses

The overall number of courses available on the FEI Campus also increased by 18%, jumping from 127 to 150. Eight official courses and assessments, along with 15 horsemanship courses were added, of which three are dedicated courses on Tack and Equipment to go along with the release of the FEI TackApp.  

Promoting Horse Welfare Know-how… 

An important change in the organisation of the content of FEI Campus was made to highlight the FEI’s values and the policies in place regarding Horse Welfare. Fully committed to championing and preserving the welfare of horses, the FEI has established regulations to safeguard its equine partners throughout and beyond their sporting career, and it is important that everyone can easily access all relevant information on the topic to educate themselves. This is why a central and dedicated Horse Welfare hub was created on FEI Campus, allowing everyone to find all information relevant to equine well-being conveniently in one place.  

Accessibility & Education are key 

Horse Welfare is paramount in everything we do, which is why it is crucial we contribute to educating all persons involved in equestrian sport by spreading knowledge, and by making as much content as possible available in other languages.  

With that in mind, we increased the number of courses translated on FEI Campus and added two new Spanish courses to the 13 already online, as well as a new course in Turkish, one in Finnish and one in Mandarin, and we have also started working on courses in Japanese, Arabic and French for an expected publication in 2024. 

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Launched in November 2023, and featuring a thought-provoking video, the campaign – Think Outside The Box – was created to raise awareness around the risk of contamination in and around the stables, and the potential consequences from a Rules violation perspective as well as general health and safety for horses.  

The campaign is centred around four core themes – Behave, Organise, Maintain and Secure – with each theme broken down into specific actionable points and the risks should they not be correctly addressed. The risk for contamination and consequences of Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMR) violations such as disqualification and suspension are the core driver of the campaign, and they feature prominently as does safety messaging in relation to intoxication, injury and potential fire hazards.

The campaign portal www.fei.org/think is available in three languages – English, French and Spanish – and includes downloadable assets for the public to promote and endorse the campaign natively on their own platforms as well as dedicated sections for ambassadors and supporters, including the International Grooms Association and Equestrian Organisers Association among others.